Starfall
by Haruki Fukuyama
Summary: A forgotten incident. Two surviving Uchiha. One, Sasuke, and the other, Inazuma. Discover a new angle to the will of hatred: the will of the Uchiha!
1. Prologue

**Starfall**

Okay, Guys this is my first fanfic, but that does NOT mean that you treat me like a first timer. Please read and review and voice your opinions. I'm open to a little well minded criticism, but I simply cannot take stupid and naïve insults. That is all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and if I did, the Raikage would have bitten the dust a long time ago!

This is for Aditi. Because you love Naruto, hope you will like this!

Note: 1) Taiki: Radiance. 2) Inazuma: Lightning. 3) dokushinka-mind reader; dokushinjutsu: mind reading technique.

Prologue

The sky was overcast, and humming with distant bursts of thunder, as if in tentative anticipation. Everything was quiet, but for the sound of Nature voicing it's obvious anger. Konoha's sentinel ninja tensed. The night did not bode well for them. The Uchiha quarters were menacingly silent. A distant sound of a tree getting hit with obvious force was the only distraction.

Sasuke Uchiha hit the tree again, and cursed. His body was not complying anymore. Thinking a strangely masochistic thought he hit the tree again. The pain blossomed in his fist, and he reveled in its momentary agony. He stood. The tree was now ready to take a full assault. His hands quickly for formed the signature Fire- style tiger seal. He proceeded with more seals, and launched his feet into the air. The air nuzzled his face, and he smiled. "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire technique!" The tree was in clear view now. He inverted himself in midair, and cupped his hand to his mouth. Ten orbs of fire shot out of his mouth with unearthly intensity, and rained down upon the hapless tree. The intensity of the blast was great, and upon impact, the tree was ablaze, slowly being reduced to a crisp. He landed safely away, and turned to survey the damage he had done. Satisfied, he trudged off towards his house. The Uchiha panted slightly, and made a great show of hiding his fatigue. That was when he heard footsteps at a distance. His senses were at peak sensitivity due to his training. He hid himself on a low lying tree. The main road seemed deserted. He looked toward the source of the commotion. A small convoy consisting of five hooded figures was huddled in conference. One of them let out a low hiss. "Let the boy go, Yumi! This is no time for hysterics!" _Yumi Uchiha? _ Sasuke knew her faintly. But her husband was known very well.

Taiki Uchiha was a well known warrior, and one of the most feared ANBU, second only to Shusui and Itachi. He surpassed them in terms of age, and hence wielded more influence. Sasuke tensed. He was the hissing man. Yumi seemed to sigh heavily. Sasuke could make out her resignation. She handed a small bundle to Taiki. The big man tensed. He looked around. He gave the bundle to another figure. "Handle it as you will." He said simply. "Yumi, go, if you must. I have business to attend to…" Yumi broke down in a sudden moment, and began weeping profusely. But it ceased as fast as it had come. Small rivulets trickled down her chin, though. He outline heaved. The entourage turned, and left in the direction of the river. No sooner were they out of sight, Taiki faced the very tree Sasuke was perched on.

Sasuke froze, and looked at the man. Two red eyes with three tomoes were gazing at his exact position. Taiki's Sharingan was in full view to the young Uchiha, and he suppressed a gasp. Of course he knew where he was. No point in running. He dropped nimbly to the ground. Taiki was surprised at the intruder's boldness, or rather, foolishness. Sasuke decided to be direct. "My apologies, Taiki-dono. I happened to be in the vicinity, training, and chanced upon your…entourage." His voice trailed under Taiki's mixed look of frustration and amusement. Taiki recognized him. "Well, well…if it isn't Itachi's brother!" Sasuke thanked his brother mentally. The situation was becoming lighter. Taiki dispelled any notions he was having, by saying "But then…you have to be dealt with in _some _way, at least…" Sasuke was having none of that. He managed to mutter a"Whatever you were up to, I had no idea-", when Taiki's breath was hot on his neck. "Uchiha are taught to destroy their curiosities for matters which do not concern them…" Sasuke rounded over, and fell to the ground. He stood up, trying to gain distance between the ANBU and himself. Taiki shrugged. "Well, your memory in this regard can be… erased…" his words were heavy with intent. Sasuke turned tail, and ran towards the river. Taiki's words could be heard. "No point in running, boy! Save your energy for later!"

Sasuke panted hard. The river was much more audible now. He looked around for Taiki, but he had simply disappeared. Sasuke's guard was high, when suddenly; he heard the sound of a baby. The sky was growling with increased fury now. And the lightning flashed. In the neon blue glow, Sasuke caught the silhouettes of the hooded figures near the river. The reservoir of the heavens burst without warning, and rain cascaded down upon Sasuke. The Uchiha looked around. The baby's wailing was hauntingly above the pitch of the lightning, and Sasuke felt a slight tingle in his chest. He then caught sight of Taiki, who was standing like a specter out of hell, with his cloak whipping about his person. Sasuke gulped. The ninja's hands moved. Sasuke gasped in sudden pain, as he attempted to remove the senbon from his thigh. Rivulets of blood started to flow. Taiki was behind him. "End of the line, boy…" Sasuke turned, and smirking in spite of his pain, screamed, "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique!" Taiki's form blurred as the streaking fireball streaked past his cloak, and he appeared behind Sasuke once more. This time he caught hold of Sasuke's neck, and pinned him against his chest. Sasuke felt something white hot trickle down his cheek. He looked up, and to his surprise, saw the emotionless ANBU member shed tears. Taiki leaned down, and whispered in Sasuke's ear: "I hope to see Inazuma become like you…alas….at least, it is a fitting name…" with those cryptic words, Sasuke's world became black.

Lightning flashed once more, this time tracing the outline of two motionless figures near the river bank. A third figure made off with the bundle, and swiftly disappeared into the stormy night, leaving only the sound of a crying baby in its wake…

Taiki Uchiha reported engaging two rogue ANBU the next day, and claimed that his wife had suffered a miscarriage due to the attempted assassination. His son was never born, and he shed tears as he relayed the news. The council murmured their sympathies, and gave the man a well deserved break.

The incident was a closed case.

Sasuke Uchiha lived, and did not remember a single moment of that night. He was found in a critical condition, and Taiki Uchiha claimed to have saved the boy as he was caught unawares by the ANBU as he trained.

On the outskirts of Konohagakure, lived the reclusive, almost extinct clan of the dokushinka. One of the clan reported an assault on her house 5 years ago. She was engaged in dokushinjutsu, when she felt a presence of a ninja. Her memory was hazy, but she _did _remember a flash of red eyes, spinning ones…and she had been performing a mind erasing technique upon a client. The client was dead, regardless.

Two weeks after that, the Uchiha clan massacre took place, and none of the Uchiha survived.

Except two of them.

Sasuke, and….

Inazuma.


	2. Chapter 01 The Bloodline Limit

_Firstly, some tearful thanks to my (I think) first reader, who favorited my story, __**animatedgemini. **__Please review it too, if u have the time!_

_Note: I'm pretty sure, whoever reads this fanfic will be an ardent Naruto follower, so, some clarifications- time period, as you might have noticed, is a little later than the actual timeframe. Sasuke is 20 now, and this makes the time he learnt the Grand Fireball around 5 years. This was done because in the prologue, Inazuma Uchiha is only 1-1.5 years, so I had to compensate for his age. So he is 15-16 years of age, and hence not a kid. Hence, it was better for me to give him a bit more leverage in terms of power. The Fourth Shinobi World War has just commenced. 2. As for the triskelion, Google it to get a clearer idea. The most elaborate picture of it on the Google images previews is exactly it. _

Time frame: 15 years later, Konohagakure

The skies were tensing significantly. Clouds swirled and played about in a nimbus of grey, swirling orbs. Sunlight filtered in pale, weak streams on the shattered landscape. Eighty kilometers outside the perimeter of Konoha, amidst the basted, rocky landscape, lay the latest Akatsuki hideout. The grotesque outline of a Zetsu keeping watch could be seen only to the trained eye, and an urgent conference was taking place in the deep crevices. The makeshift war room was silent. Water trickled down in small rivulets and made its own gurgling melody. Madara Uchiha sighed. The room was littered with resurrected Akatsuki members, and they all sat in a mundane manner. Kabuto Yakushi leaned against the wall, with a new strategy developing in his brain. His face had a mildly irritated expression. Madara, ever so secretive, had, as usual kept some of his plans to himself. Now it involved a latest addition to Akatsuki. The candidate was being fetched by two loitering Zetsu clones, and Kabuto was mulling over this random variable.

Madara, to his own surprise was feeling increasingly impatient. He forced himself to calm down. Soon, footsteps could be heard. Madara got up from his 'seat' and suddenly had the air of a show host. The meager light revealed none other than Sasuke Uchiha, a Zetsu guiding him towards the room. Sasuke had bandages on his eyes, and he sat down heavily. Madara sat down too. _What was taking so long? _He fumed inwardly. His attention turned upon Sasuke. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Fine." was Sasuke's curt reply. Madara activated his Sharingan. He could see the increasingly high concentration of chakra around Sasuke's eyes, and he knew that Sasuke's eternal Mangekyou was almost ready. He smiled in quiet satisfaction. More footsteps ensued. Now, the two Zetsu's were back, and they prod the boy they held between them lightly. The boy wore Akatsuki robes, and a high hood, making his features invisible, and more so because of the scant light. The cloaked figure removed its hood, showing his face. He had a fair complexion, much like Sasuke's. His hair framed his face perfectly, and was black in color. His hair partially covered his eyes, and upon closer scrutiny, you could just make out the olive irises. He was slightly taller than Sasuke, and his presence, though not imposing, seemed to fill the entire room.

Kabuto raised his eyebrow in Madara's direction. Madara got up, and introduced the boy cheerily. "This is another ghost from our pasts! Allow me to introduce, Inazuma Uchiha!" Sasuke stirred visibly at the mention of the Uchiha surname. "Uchiha….?" He murmured. Kabuto's boredom was now replaced with extreme interest. "Indeed…? And where was this one?" Sasuke was looking blankly into space, searching for the same explanation. Madara was clearly enjoying the attention he was getting. His old persona, Tobi, seemed to surface momentarily. "Well…the last place I would have expected him to be…The ANBU!" Kabuto was slightly skeptical. One of his snake-tails hissed. "Indeed? And you just recruited him, I suppose?" Madara did not appreciate the sarcasm. But he did not let his temper show, either. He merely chuckled. "I had 'recruited' him a long time ago…in fact, a few years after the Uchiha Massacre…But." He stopped momentarily. "I think he can speak for himself, can he not?"

All eyes quietly turned towards their new member. He was unusually silent. "Speak." Sasuke commanded him. Kabuto immediately interjected. "Wait. Before I hear any more, may I know precisely _why _a new addition to our ranks was needed? I thought we already had all these." He gestured towards the emaciated bodies, courtesy of his Impure World Resurrection Technique. They were lifeless, as Kabuto had not sent his chakra into them yet. "You have indeed hit it on the spot, Kabuto!" Madara exclaimed. "Why indeed? Well, he does have his talents…" Kabuto was not amused. "And those are…?" Madara faced him directly, his mismatched eyes boring through Kabuto. "Why don't you see for yourself…?" he taunted. Kabuto rose to the taunt. "Maybe I will….but is he willing?" Madara simply said- "Show him."

Madara, helping Sasuke, Kabuto, and the latest Uchiha all flickered to the top of their base. It was a rocky expanse, the flat top of a mountain. And then, the ANBU opened his mouth. "Do we really have to do this…?" he muttered. His voice was hypnotic, with a tincture of sadness. Madara nodded. "Just a little demo, that's all. He doubts your abilities, you know?" he gestured towards Kabuto, who was standing a good distance away. Sasuke sat down on one of the rocks. A Zetsu appeared to record and help Sasuke view the fight. Kabuto smirked. "Come on! I don't have all day! Or should I make a move?" The other did not reply. "Fine, then…"said Kabuto. "I was itching to try these powers anyway… Summoning technique: Snake summoning!" Eight larger than life sized snakes appeared and bred their fangs menacingly. If the Uchiha was scared, he did not show it. The snakes shot out toward Inazuma. He muttered."Shunshin no jutsu." And body flickered out of harm's way. The snakes hissed and turned towards his new position. Again and again, he dodged, and the snakes failed. Kabuto was beginning to get bored. "You're fast, but that won't affect the outcome of our fight if you don't attack…" He flicked his wrist. The snakes moved with an unearthly speed, and one of them suddenly caught the Uchiha off guard. The snake twisted and turned, and constricted…to find its prey vanish in a puff of wind chakra. The true Inazuma flickered slightly to the left. "Wind clone...vacuum bullet disintegration." The wind chakra dissipated into high velocity vacuum bullets, and the nearest snake was ripped to shreds.

Kabuto tensed. "Oh please…"he smirked. "Keep your parlor tricks to yourself!" The remaining ones attacked with a maniacal killing intent. Inazuma flickered high above. "Time to make these troublesome snakes disappear…" he muttered. Two more shadow clones of his appeared to his side. The cupped their hands to their lips."Fire Release: Grand Fireball." Three comets of blazing fire cascaded and reduced the area to ash. The smoke cleared, and not a single summon was alive. "Hmm…" Kabuto started thinking. He summoned some more snakes, and decided to run in himself. The Uchiha closed his eyes in the face of impending danger. And opened them, to reveal a matured, three tomoe Sharingan. Kabuto's mind raced. _So he is an Uchiha after all….the Sharingan certainly raises the challenge. _The snakes and Kabuto launched themselves at him. Inazuma avoided their attacks in an almost lazy manner, as though Kabuto were attacking very slowly. Kabuto was angered. "Chakra scalpel- snake teeth infusion!" he shouted. The snakes opened their mouths, and instead of fangs, there were modified chakra scalpels.

Inazuma merely had one reply. He looked at Madara. Madara nodded. He said. "Mangekyou Sharingan." The tomes vanished, and a triskelion-like sign appeared in his eyes. Sasuke looked at the fight with renewed interest. Kabuto was on the defensive, and he sent one of the snakes at Inazuma. Inazuma merely dodged. "I won't be holding back now…" he muttered ominously. "Besides…you irritate me." He added. Kabuto's mind gaped at the audacity of this…._**fool. **_His voice rose with every syllable. "Don't…Underestimate…**ME!" **he yelled and ten more snakes appeared. Their chakra enhanced fangs glinted evilly. The Uchiha did not even register the change. His hands wee a blur. "Fire…Thunder…Wind." He muttered in sync with his hands. "Kekkei tota. Celestial Release." The chakra around him shifted, and expanded. Kabuto's eyes widened. The Uchiha opened his fist. Pure white chakra streamed through it. He pointed it at Kabuto. "Celestial Release: Solar Ray." The firmament simply EXPLODED. The clouds gave way, fleeing out of sight. The sun was shining even brighter than before. Kabuto could feel the heat wave rush through his body. The sun, appeared like the harbinger of hell, and a clear white wave of pure light streamed through the sky, crashing against the Earth with a phenomenal fury. The terrain simply did not hold, and Kabuto's snakes did not even stand a chance. Kabuto screamed with a voice he did not know he possessed. The ray was SCORCHING him! He felt his life slip from his grasp. Orochimaru's powers were simply too puny to withstand this…this heavenly power. He smiled. The Uchiha _was _good after all… and maybe Madara wanted to terminate him anyway. As hell raged around him, somewhere in the back of his mind, something twitched. _Why would Madara want to kill him? He was the one controlling the Impure World Resurrection Summons...Then what is this? Something isn't right…_

The Tsukuyomi shattered around him, leaving him gasping for breath. Uchiha Inazuma was standing with a bored expression. "I decided to dispel it…"he was saying. "Couldn't stand your screaming, anyway…" His Mangekyou bored into him with laser-like intensity. Kabuto's mind shattered. _It was all a…__**Genjustsu?**_ _So powerful… _

With those thoughts, Kabuto Yakushi fell to the ground. "Give him medical attention. His mind is too stressed…" muttered Madara, clearly pleased with the turn of events. Sasuke Uchiha was standing, his expression a mixture between incredulity- at Inazuma's abilities, and disdain-at Kabuto's weakness. Inazuma Uchiha just murmured…"Didn't even need to use my actual celestial release…what a weakling…"

Well, that'spretty much it for the 1st chapter. I know I might have made Kabuto a little weaker than the original, but then, I hate the guy. He's quite overrated, even in the Data book! (This is a personal opinion, btw.) Please, read and review, and give me your ideas.


	3. Chapter 02 The Awakening

**Chapter 02- Awakening**

A/N: Okay, this took a little longer than expected, primarily because I just couldn't think of how much to cram into this chapter. But here it is! This chapter is a little mild on the action side, but it is a plot builder, which is necessary. Aditi, this is for you again, provided you read it, I just feel stupid dedicating it otherwise… :-P Note: Kazumi: Harmony Shinra: (Well, there is a lot of debate on this, but I would go with the "Almighty") Yukiko: Snow Child Hiroki: Abundant strength As usual, please R&R so that I don't feel that I'm just sending words into thin air or something… If you have any queries, just drop me a text. Thanks to all those who have read/ favorited/ subscribed for alerts, and sorry for the delay!

Time Frame- Konohagakure, 13 years ago.

_The politics of the Uchiha were indeed intricate_, thought Shinra. The ANBU member looked at the horizon. Sooner or later, he would be home. Konoha was in a state of strange turmoil. The Uchiha incident had shocked everyone to no end. Shinra did not understand a single bit of the shock. The villagers had openly hated the Uchiha, and had always had a comment or two concerning the reclusive clan. Most of the comments were full of barbed venom. And yet, after almost every Uchiha had been slaughtered, the villagers were shocked at the entire scenario. _The human mind is strange indeed_…_it constantly thrives on turmoil. _Shinra's thoughts hadnever been so disturbed, so deep. He shrugged off those disturbing emotions. He pumped his chakra through his legs, and started his tree travelling. The lush green landscape, the familiar chirping, and the heavenly smell of wet earth…he smiled. He was finally home.

His house consisted of an elegant quarters; it was surrounded by green trees, and lush Sakura blossoms. Being in the ANBU certainly had its merits. His wife, Kazumi, sat on the patio, combing her long silken tresses. The usually cold ANBU cracked, and his emotions were on the fore, as his arrival did not go unnoticed. Kazumi beamed broadly, and gave him a tender embrace. Shinra inhaled her delicate perfume, and never wanted to let go. The silence in the entire exchange was true bliss: husband and wife did not need to speak, their actions conveyed their emotions. After what seemed like eternity, he let go. "I'll go fix some supper." She stood up, and with a renewed intensity, she went back to the house. Shinra removed his mask. He was just setting it aside, when a tiny person wrapped himself on his right leg.

"Father! You're finally here…." Shinra beamed at his small three year old. The precious thing had tears in his eyes. Shinra laughed. "I'm here, Inazuma…" The boy asked with innocence only children possess, "Where were you…I thought you would never return…." _I thought so too…_Shinra's mind echoed. "On an important mission." He answered, as truthfully as possible. The boy looked into his father's eyes. They were a rich olive green, and Shinra was momentarily lost, in their depth. He repeated with awe."Mission..?" Shinra laughed again. "Let's go in the house before your mother slaughters us!" he lifted Inazuma, and carried the child into the house. The boy screeched in glee. As soon as he was let down, he ran around, making noises and playing his own games. Shinra looked at him sadly. The boy was a fragment of a tragic past, and Shinra wanted to protect the boy from his past, no matter what. He was just weighing the magnitude of that thought when a rich aroma of ramen reached his nostrils. He set his thoughts aside, and everything was momentarily forgotten as the family was complete once more.

Shinra stretched lazily on the mattress. He hadn't slept a proper sleep since ages, and it clung to him like a long lost lover. Kazumi was in the garden, playing with the boy. His laughter echoed across the courtyard. Shinra shuffled over to the patio. His son was full of excitement. "Today I'll become a Genin, papa!" he exclaimed. Shinra was surprised. _Of course…he's become of age now…I had quite forgotten. _

And then a thought hit him hard. He hadn't really taught the boy anything other than simple genin level jutsu- nothing special! Many children would be coming for the exam, and most probably would have learnt a technique or two. He cursed. This defect would soon have to be rectified. Kazumi looked up with a half amused expression. Shinra announced importantly,"Inazuma, come see me immediately near the river after school. We have things to do." The boy pouted. "What, father?" "Training!" replied Shinra. The boy was immediately enthusiastic. "Of course, Father! I'll learn a host of new jutsu, and then I'll…" the boy was lost in his own world. He made whooshing and other battle sounds with his mouth, and started running round in the garden. Shinra laughed. "Enough! Kazumi, send him off already, or he'll faint from his excitement!" Kazumi smiled a quiet smile. She beckoned the boy. "Come on, Ina…" The boy gave his father a thumbs up, and disappeared from sight.

Inazuma was on his own. As he skipped to the ninja academy, he wondered about the test. He would crack it easily, he decided. The expected jutsu were a joke, and he could perform them to perfection. A cloning technique, easy. Shuriken and kunai throwing, _very _easy. Chakra control? Now that was a slight hurdle. But nothing he couldn't manage. The written exam was not a concern. Substitution? He scoffed at the entire syllabus. No, he needed a _special _technique. Something to impress his proctors. He wished that his exam were a day later- he would have learnt something from father, then… he frowned. No matter…a day does not make any difference. "Inazuma!" a voice like a tinkling bell came to his ears. He looked back.

And saw the most beautiful girl (he thought) he had ever seen. Yukiko was one of his classmates, and one of his very close friends. True to her name, she was very fair. Her eyes were like twin chips of ice, but they were not cold: they were like melting lakes. Her features were extremely delicate, and to that, her voice was like a wind chime when she raised it. She wore a blue and white dress, modified to suit her. It was cut at the knees, and made a little more ninja-like. Inazuma felt a smile form involuntarily. She stopped running when she reached him. "Huff! That's so like you, Inazuma…rushing off like a bull! My throat is sore from all the shouting, honestly…" Inazuma smirked. "Not like you shout loudly….it's more like a monkey yapping at a distance…Ow!" She cut him short with a playful punch. "Hmm…" she suddenly cut off. "Hmm what..?" Inazuma inquired immediately. "Nothing, idiot…it's just…what if don't become genin…?" Yukiko immediately regretted asking that question. Inazuma spluttered, "Never think that again, Yukiko! You will never fail…this is a promise! I'll kill Iruka sensei personally if that happens…" he began musing. Yukiko winced at her friend's outburst, and immediately laughed at the idea of Inazuma trying to beat Iruka sensei.

"Oy! Wait up, losers!" a voice called out to them. Yukiko looked up brightly. It was Hiroki, their third friend. Inazuma grinned too. "Took you long enough, didn't it? Who're you calling losers anyway?" "Ha! Figure it out, genius!" Rather than rise up to the challenge, Inazuma merely shrugged. They had reached the academy. A large crowd of fresher's had assembled in the grounds. Iruka was nowhere to be seen in the ensuing commotion. The ground was filled with excitement and anticipation. Hiroki took this opportunity to steer the tree of them away to some other objects of interest. Hiroki whispered, "Look! There's Sasuke Uchiha!" The other two looked up in eager anticipation. Sure enough, there was Sasuke, strolling around with Kakashi sensei. The two were in an obvious hurry. "I'm gonna become like him, you see!" Hiroki had this sudden spark in his eyes. "He's a prodigy- a genius! I heard he mastered the fire release at our age!" Yukiko and Inazuma took this in. Inazuma joked,"Yeah, like that's possible…you'll need a special jutsu!" "I might already have one…" said Hiroki, mysteriously. Yukiko looked at his in awe. Inazuma, clearly jealous, was about to explode when Iruka's voice called the entire crowd of fresher's to attention. They quickly ran and mingled in. "Right! I don't think I need to tell you brats twice! I need absolute order!" the hubbub was slowly dying away. Satisfied, Iruka proceeded. "You'll take a big step towards becoming ninja's today! If you give the tests with your full potential, then there is nothing to stop you from becoming Genin!" Hiroki whispered. "As if we need our full potential!" Inazuma couldn't help but agree. "Right, everybody, to your classrooms for the written test!" The test had started.

Thirty minutes later, Inazuma stood outside the classroom, quibbling with Hiroki. "Ha, you're wrong there…the Kage Bunshin is a "shadow" clone, not a super powered one… bet you imagined the Hokage…" Hiroki was red. "Well…" he muttered. "But the others are right, at least! And who needs to ace in the written tests, the demonstrations are what matter most!" he tried to defend himself. Inazuma wore a satisfied smirk. Yukiko joined them soon, and the three went to the fields for their demo tests. One thing was dogging Inazuma- did Hiroki have a special technique? Probably not, he decided. He was just pulling his leg, as usual. He noticed that the two were at quite a distance. "Will you hurry?" Hiroki muttered in irritation. "S-Sorry!" Inazuma snapped out of his train of thought.

Inazuma went first. He did a flawless substitution, and the shuriken thrown at him by the proctor thudded harmlessly in the wooden log. His shuriken and kunai were dead on target, achieving a near perfect score of nine on ten. Chakra control was pretty okay, as he managed to take twenty steps on the water without falling in. He created five clones at a time instead of the usual two. The instructors were quite impressed, to say the least. One of them asked in eager anticipation- "Shinra's kid? Do you know any techniques you would like to show us? Just a little bonus, of course…" Inazuma nodded solemnly. "No..?" said the instructor, mildly disappointed. "Hmm…" "Don't worry, kid! You are passing for sure…" said another, with some reassurance. Inazuma was in internal turmoil. Wish he had a little something up his sleeve…

Yukiko was somewhere in the middle order. Her substitution was a little sloppy, as a shuriken nearly missed her, but she managed it. Shuriken and kunai throwing were quite okay, too, with a score of seven on ten. Her chakra control was quite good, and she could actually run on water like a free bird. But what surprised many observers was her reply to the question- "Anything else then the usual techniques?" She said a soft, "Yes." The proctor was surprised. What was this girl going to do now? Yukiko simply went to a tree and plucked some leaves and flowers. She then held them tightly in her hands. Then she opened her palm after some time, for the proctor to see. He looked with an amused smile. And was shocked. The girl had frozen the flora completely! A hushed conference was called. The girl possessed a unique Kekkei Genkai, or so it seemed. She was called to meet the proctors later. Inazuma was pleasantly surprised, and a little envious, of course. He congratulated her heartily. But the surprises did not end there. It was Hiroki's turn. He seemed to be completely distracted, and a shuriken hit him on his arm as he performed his substitution. His kunai and shuriken throwing was like a drunken man trying to fight. He scored a mere four on ten. He fell into the water on his first step. The proctors were bored, and were unanimously going to declare him a failure. One sleepily asked, "Any other technique?"

"Yes." answered Hiroki. "The proctor was not impressed. "Hn, let's see what you can do…" Hiroki concentrated like he had never done before. Inazuma was sadly watching his friend's slow path to failure, and his ears perked up when Hiroki said yes. _The secret technique?_ Hiroki, as though answering his question, faced a tree and inhaled mightily. "Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!" he said amidst gasps. Six jets of pure, compressed air tore into the tree, and ploughed through several others. The proctors' faces were those of pure disbelief. "If you could perform this complex jutsu, why did you struggle with the ordinary techniques?" one asked. Hiroki smiled shyly. "Sorry sensei. I was so focused on getting this right; I bungled everything else up…" "Don't let that happen again." said the proctor, before giving Hiroki a knowing wink. Hiroki joined his friends. Yukiko hugged Hiroki, much to Inazuma's chagrin. "Yay, Hiroki that was just superb! And here's me thinking you were going to fail…." Hiroki grinned, enjoying the attention he was getting. Inazuma was silent. He turned to go. "Hey, Inazuma, aren't you going to stay?" asked Yukiko. "The after exam ceremony starts in some time…" Inazuma shrugged. "I don't feel so well…I'll probably go home and lie down…see you, Yukiko, Hiroki…" he trailed off. He half expected to hear Yukiko trying to convince him, but as he looked back, she was laughing with Hiroki. Inazuma was silent on his way home, his mind full of stray, disturbing thoughts.

The river was flowing in full, heavy torrents. Shinra watched the river, waiting for Inazuma to arrive. The sky was a vivid shade of orange. Shinra let a smile grace his face. It was a beautiful evening. He looked back, sensing somebody. It was Inazuma. His head hung low, his brown hair framing his face. Shinra frowned. "What's the matter, son?" he asked, after a brief silence. Inazuma answered in a voice Shinra did not know his son possessed. "I didn't have a special technique to hold me up, dad! I'm a failure!" Shinra held him close. "The boy was howling now. "Just one technique, dad! Why couldn't you just teach me ONE technique?" Shinra sighed heavily. "Well. We can always learn it now, can we not?" "The boy reduced his volume considerably. He rubbed his eyes. "What can I learn now? I'm hopeless…" Shinra was in deep thought. True, he was going to teach Inazuma _something, _but now he needed to teach him something really useful, something of some potency. Shinra smiled. _Of course, he is an Uchiha, after all. The Fire release would be perfect! It helps that I have an affinity for the Fire release…_

He made Inazuma stand at a distance. The boy had steadied himself, and was watching keenly. "Now, I trust that you know your hand seals?" Shinra asked. The boy scowled. "Of course, dad…I passed the test, didn't I?" Shinra smiled. "Sure, tough guy. Now do as I do…" His hand flipped through a series of hand seals. The tiger sign came soon, and Shinra froze. Inazuma froze exactly a second after, and looked at him again. "Now watch, and try to copy me later, okay?" the boy nodded his head in agreement. Shinra cupped his hand to his mouth, and said, "Fire release: Grand Fireball!" As Inazuma watched, awestruck, a giant fireball issued from his father's mouth and hit the river, dissipating into the stream with hisses as fire hit water. "Now go!" said, Shinra. The boy cupped his hands, and screamed mightily: "Fire Release: Grand Fireball!" A small wisp of flame somehow made its way out of the boy's mouth, and disappeared as quickly as it had come. Shinra was pleased. Any other boy would never have made even a small flame. Inazuma however was scowling. "Huh, that was weak!"

Shinra told him to practice it again. The boy had already taken the position without being told. As the repeated sounds of "Grand Fireball" echoed in the evening air, Shinra sat down, facing the river. He closed his eyes.

"F-F….Fire Release...G-Grand Fireball…." Inazuma's breath came in short gasps. Shinra suddenly sensed a great heat pass above his head, and lo! A grand fireball made its way into the water, hissing and spitting as it hit the liquid. Shinra yawned. It was nighttime. He looked back. Inazuma was standing there, his olive eyes brimming with satisfaction. His face was sweaty. "He he…I did it, after all…" he managed to splutter before crashing into the ground. Shinra ran up to him. His thoughts were a mixture of satisfaction and worry. A part of him told him not to let the boy overexert himself, and another part told him to be a proud father. He carried Inazuma home, who had fallen asleep due to the exhaustion. The day had ended well, at least.


	4. Chapter 03 Team 9

A/N: Guys, sorry for the late update, my schedule is hellish. But no matter, here's a fresh chapter. Enjoy, do a little bit of R & R, please! Cheers!

**Chapter 03- Team 9**

Time frame- Konohagakure, 13 years ago.

The sun shone down upon Konoha, its slender beams bathing the lush green forests. Another good day. Hiroki prodded the grass with a stick. His expression was that of mild annoyance. His brown hair was being whipped about with occasional bursts of gust. His hazel eyes traced the form of a minuscule insect, and he looked up at the approach of footsteps. Inazuma was facing the valley, and his head snapped up too. Yukiko opened her eyes, getting up from her sleeping position. Inazuma had known all along that they would be put in one team. He wasn't one to complain, though. All they were waiting for was their Jonin squad captain. Hiroki, as usual had a hunch. "Bet its Kakashi. He always shows up late, you mark my words…" And it seemed he wasn't wrong either. The Jonin _was_ late, whoever it was. Sure enough, a man in Jonin fatigues walked up to them. His crown of silver hair was not his only distinguishing feature: he wore his headband all the way to the side, covering one of his eyes. He had this natural, lazy gait of walking- Inazuma wondered how a ninja could be so casual. He slouched toward them. Hiroki gave his team-mates a 'I told you so' look.

_Kakashi Hatake. The son of the legendary white fang of Konoha, Sukamo Hatake. A ninja par excellence, if the stories could be believed. Current commander of Team 7, but due to shortage, assigned to their Genin team. One of his eyes held the Sharingan, the legendary Uchiha Kekkei Genkai. _Inazuma's mind whirled with a million thoughts. He looked at the Jonin. He would teach them well, he hoped. Kakashi put his hands on his waist. He looked at each one carefully. Then, he suddenly broke eye contact. "Well! Let's begin… Why don't we make ourselves comfortable, then…?" he sat down. They mimicked him. "Hmm…it's rather interesting, you know…" "What?" Hiroki was quick to ask. "Well, almost every team I've had asks me the reason for my lateness…You haven't said anything…but." He shrugged. "Let's start with you, shall we?" He pointed at Yukiko. She hesitated. " I'm Yukiko Sayuki, from the Sayuki clan. I…I like…well, sweet foods, good books…Um…Yeah. Oh! And I love making trinkets…" she trilled off. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "That was interesting, Yukiko…" he looked at Hiroki. "I'm Hiroki Miyahara, from the famous Wind using Miyahara clan! I plan to become an ANBU ninja very soon, and learn a ton of jutsu to beat our enemies! And- ""Well…heheh…we clearly know something now, Hiroki…" Kakashi cut in. He gestured towards Inazuma. "I'm Inazuma Akaike. My goal is to ascend the ninja hierarchy, and become a good and loyal Konoha Shinobi…I guess…something along my father's footsteps, maybe?" He smiled sheepishly. Kakashi was satisfied. "Well. The proctors told me that I was being given one of the strongest teams here! Now, let's see you defend your title, shall we?" He got up.

The Genin were pleased and determined to prove themselves. "You're gonna tell us to get some bells, right?" Kakashi was surprised. "Hmm…is it really that obvious? Anyway, knowing the task doesn't mean you can do it! So…" he gestured towards the bells. "You have to get these bells from me. That's all. If you fail, there will be no lunch. You will get a second chance after lunch time. Fail then and there will be no squad! You will all be disqualified as Genin!" Yukiko looked aghast. "But…" she protested."No buts! Your time starts now!" The air around the squad and the Jonin tensed. The test had started.

It took a moment for Inazuma to get his bearings. This was a one shot test to becoming a ninja! This had to be considered carefully. Kakashi had moved away, at a distance. Hiroki murmured, hardly able to contain his excitement. "Watch me! I'm gonna surprise him with my Wind release!" Inazuma frowned. A direct approach was foolhardy. This was a Jonin they were talking about, and Kakashi Hatake, for that point. Yukiko seemed undecided. She gestured towards the charging form of Hiroki. "I guess we should help him?" Inazuma said nothing. Yukiko sighed. "If you have any idea, tell me, okay? I'm going after him…" Inazuma wanted to stamp his foot with his frustration. What kind of a dumb strategy was this? So much of a messy plan…

Hiroki had reached Kakashi by then. He whipped out his Kunai, and stabbed upward, towards the dangling threads of the bells at Kakashi's waist. Kakashi made the barest of movements and his foot connected his Hiroki's crouching form, and he flew back. He stood. "Huh! I'm gonna get you now!" he yelled and tried again, this time creating some clones to distract him. Kakashi had a look of mild amusement as his form shimmered and appeared between the clones. He moved his hands at an impossible speed, dissipating the illusions. The real Hiroki was high above. "Gotcha!" he yelled. "Wind release: Buffeting Gust!" He opened his mouth and a gust of high velocity wind cascaded on Kakashi. His shadow clone disappeared, and he appeared in midair, catching Hiroki by the collar and throwing him to the ground. Hiroki landed in an unceremonious heap, groaning in pain. Kakashi landed with grace. Yukiko suddenly appeared out of nowhere, throwing a brace of shuriken at Kakashi. Kakashi deftly dodged them, again increasing his distance. He pulled out an Icha Icha book, and started reading, engrossed. Inazuma was flabbergasted. The man was reading perverted books in the middle of a serious test? Yukiko was helping Hiroki get up. Inazuma joined them. "We need a plan!" he hissed.

Hiroki's voice was obviously out of breath. "Any ideas, genius?" Inazuma shot him a scathing look. "You fool, if you didn't rush in like a bull, I guess you'd be in better shape!" "Huh. At least I wasn't holding back like a coward!" Hiroki shot back. "Holding back like a sane person should, idiot!" Inazuma was incensed. "Inazuma! Hiroki! Just calm down, will you?" "This isn't getting us anywhere near those bells!" This sobered them up. Inazuma looked at Kakashi. The man seemed so…unperturbed. His blood shot up. "Well, the best approach would be a simple distraction, with a combination of high powered attacks…Yukiko; we need to hit him with your Ice release. Think you can keep him frozen in some way?" Yukiko nodded. "But, this has to be quick. I cannot hold his entire form frozen. I will be out of chakra like that…" Inazuma nodded. "I'll be the decoy and attack him head on. Hiroki, attack him at my signal with a wind jutsu, one which will temporarily immobilize him. Then, if Yukiko lands a hit on him, we can cut the bells!" Hiroki nodded, mild annoyance filling his thoughts. He shook it away. He needed to pass too. The three got up. Yukiko was much more optimistic after this speech. "Let's get him!"

Inazuma directed some chakra in his legs, like Shinra had taught him to. He was moving fast. Hiroki and Yukiko fell behind, and circled around the Jonin. Kakashi looked up from his book. Inazuma threw three Kunai at him during his rush. Kakashi sidestepped, and noticed with a mild surprise that Inazuma was moving much faster than normal genin. He then noticed the chakra around Inazuma's feet. _Interesting,_ thought Kakashi. _But not enough. _He tucked in his book, moving for offence, surprising the boy. Inazuma fell back as Kakashi materialized behind him. He smiled. _At least Kakashi has kept the book away. _He formed a shadow clone. This cost him quite a bit of chakra, but he needed the clone for now. Clone and Genin identically raised their Kunai and rushed Kakashi again. Kakashi moved in too. "Earth style: Mud entrapment." He said. One of the two stopped just short of Kakashi, as a sudden burst of Mud grabbed the boy. The shadow clone dissipated with a light puff, and Inazuma was flying back, his hands forming seals. "NOW!" he yelled. "Wind release: Buffeting gust!" Hiroki yelled. Kakashi looked back in shock. He twisted at a critical angle, avoiding the gust at the last moment. He still felt the wind push him back a little. What happened next was unavoidable. He looked below him and saw Yukiko form some hand signs. "Ice release: Frozen prison." She gasped, and touched his foot. Kakashi felt his feet become numb, as a steady stream of Ice flowed from her hand. He threw a smoke Kunai at the last moment. The rest was highly blurred. The smoke cleared to reveal Hiroki down on the ground once again, and Yukiko fell to her knees with exhaustion from her previous technique. Kakashi stood up again, but with two differences: one of his legs had Ice dripping into water, and the headband around his other eye was raised: a red eye with three tomoe was clearly visible. Kakashi was very surprised indeed. He spoke. "Well, it's been a LONG time since I saw that kind of teamwork…So-"He didn't complete his sentence, and a Grand Fireball streaked towards him.

Kakashi dodged the fireball at the last moment, and caught Inazuma's hand as it streaked towards his bells. Kakashi had to admire the boy's resolve and cunning to get the bells. He had been focusing on the _real _mission- getting the bells, rather than trying to fight the Jonin. He threw him away, and motioned for everybody to stop. The Genin tensed once more. Kakashi let out a hearty chuckle. "Now that was definitely unexpected. I had no intention of commandeering another team…Team 7 is hard enough to manage, as it is, what with its troublesome members…" He looked at them and he was presumably smiling. "But, I guess I'll have to make an exception this time around…Congratulations to you all…Welcome to Team 9."

Inazuma gave up the pretense of being unscathed as he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. That fireball has taken it out of him. His mind screamed with joy, though. They had passed, against all odds! Yukiko managed a small smile before collapsing with fatigue. Hiroki, who had taken a greater battering than the other two, was already out. Kakashi stared at his new team with pride. His mind however was nagging him- how to carry them back…?

The next day, Kakashi regarded the members of Team 9 as they wore their brand new Leaf headbands. Kakashi decided to go straight to the point. "Well, as your team has passed with flying colors, I will officially be your commander. However; currently, Team 7 needs my help as they have successfully cleared their Chunin exams. So, I will not be able to give you my undivided attention for the time being. If Team 9 happens to be assigned to missions higher than C ranked ones, I will accompany you, but it is rare for a genin team to be assigned like that. So, to continue your Genin training without any gaps, I have found a temporary Jonin for you. He is every bit as skilled as I am, if not more. Allow me to introduce, Inoichi Yamanaka, from the famed Yamanaka clan. They looked at a man who had mysteriously appeared behind them. His startling green eyes gazed at them, boring into their flesh. They shivered momentarily. The tall blond ninja broke into a smile, and he replied, "As always, it is an honor, Kakashi…" "Don't mention it…" Kakashi replied. "Well, I'll leave you guys to get acquainted. "So long!" Kakashi disappeared.

Team 9 looked at their new sensei with some anticipation. "Let's start, shall we?" he said, and they trudged off towards the Konoha training grounds. The past two days had been eventful for Team 9, and they looked forward to more.


	5. Chapter 04

A/N: Okay guys, after a considerable amount of time, I'm back! And this time, with a big one! This was a crucial chapter, and it's a great plot-builder as well. Took me a while to write…So, sit back and enjoy the ride! This chapter contains lyrics, which define or hint at the event which will happen, not in an obvious manner. I thought that would be a nice addition. Please tell me what you think of it!

P.S- The review button for my chapters is strangely unused, and I would LOVE a review, please! *Begs and prostrates on the ground* Okay?

Cheers.

**Chapter 04- Prodigies are created, not born…**

Timeframe: Konohagakure, 12 years ago.

I try to remember just what happened on that night  
>The things I did, the things I said, it never ends<br>It's like this face that lay beside me just won't leave  
>it stays right by my side and never goes away<p>

My arms can't hold back the loneliness  
>I've felt since I lost sight<br>My arms can't hold back what my hands  
>Have already deceived<p>

Already deceived

So much is different  
>So much has changed<br>So many reasons why I don't want to see my face  
>Somebody bind my hands and make me understand...<p>

"FAITHLESS"- Shattersphere.

Hiroki shifted slightly from his previous, uncomfortable position. His brown hair momentarily obscured his vision as he set it aside with an irritated flick of his wrist. Any movement could prove fatal. His hazel eyes nervously scanned the pathway between the forests. 'Anytime now…' his mind whispered. And an entourage of five unkempt bandits swaggered their way through the pathway. Hiroki smiled. This was like taking candy from a baby. The leader, presumably, was patting the small sack on his waist periodically. The others laughed loudly at some rough joke or the other. They passed his tree, oblivious to his presence. The one leading the way tripped headfirst into the trap of chakra-snagging nets. The net fell over him, and it hissed menacingly as it sucked away at his chakra. And then, all hell broke loose. The bandits began running back towards Hiroki's tree. Hiroki jumped down from his hiding spot. The leader glared at this unexpected development. He motioned to one bandit, who cackled evilly and charged at Hiroki. Hiroki smiled and sent a brace of kunai at the charging fool. The man dodged, and punched Hiroki. And hit his substitution. The log clattered harmlessly to the ground. The man had no time for astonishment as he was kicked squarely in the jaw, knocked out cold. Hiroki looked at the others, cracking his knuckles. The leader snarled. "Good for nothings!" and formed a series of hand signs.

"Too slow…" a delicate voice exclaimed from behind the bandits. A few of them turned to face the threat. A slender girl looked at them with eyes that could freeze the desert. Her silver hair flicked aside, and a nimbus of white chakra played around her fingers. "Ice Release: Darts of Incapacitation!" The nimbus flickered briefly, and a hailstorm of sharp ice shards assaulted them, instantly drawing blood wherever they cut the targets. The bandits howled and moved towards the girl, in a mad frenzy. The leader launched into his own jutsu; "Earth Release: Boulder fist!" His hands were instantly encased with hard stone. He took a swing at Hiroki, who dodged. Infuriated, he started trading blows with him, eventually separating him from the group. "Earth Release: Mud wall!" a voice cried, and the bandits were surrounded on all sides by an intimidating mud wall. Inoichi Yamanaka lightly landed on the edge of the wall, smirking. "Now!" he yelled, and dropped out of sight, only to be replaced by a flying boy with jet black hair and olive eyes. Inazuma aimed for the makeshift entrapment, yelling, "Fire Release: Grand Fireball!" and a blazing orb of heat slammed into the enclosure, singing every bandit.

The leader decided that his chances were slim, and he looked at Hiroki, who winded him with a kick to his gut. As he gasped for breath, Hiroki smirked. "Never take your eyes off your enemy…" he muttered, his hands a blur. "Wind Release: Buffeting gust!" The bandit was lifted bodily as he slammed into the mud wall with force, and slumped down, unconscious. Inoichi gave them a thumb up. "Looks like you guys are getting better every minute!" They searched the bandits, retrieving the stolen packet of gold ornaments from the leader. "Yup." muttered Inoichi. "Another C rank in the bag..." Hiroki was in high spirits. "We need higher ranked missions, Inoichi sensei…These are hardly challenging!" Even Yukiko nodded in agreement. Inazuma looked at his sensei. Inoichi was in a good mood too. "Sure…I'll just tell the elders, you know…they might agree, considering your talent. Maybe they won't? Who knows…" "There's no harm in suggesting, is there? After all you are a master of the mind, aren't you sensei?" added Inazuma slyly. Inoichi looked at him with some surprise. "You very well know these are the village elders you're telling me to manipulate, don't you…?" Inazuma sighed. "Just a joke, Sensei…"

They returned the ornaments, collected their fees, and reached home without further incident. The Hokage's building was bustling with activity. Since Orochimaru's attack, a new Hokage was still to be found. The village elders could handle the politics, but many of them lacked the power and influence one needed to become the Hokage. Everything was very muddled. The sole Uchiha of the village, Sasuke, had become a traitor to Konoha, defecting to Orochimaru. Team 7 was in tatters. Naruto had left with the other Sannin Jiraya, and Sakura Haruno was pretty much roaming around with no purpose. Inoichi left them near the building, as he went in to register and report their mission results. They were free for the day, deciding to go to Ichiraku's in a mild fit of celebration. The sun was in the process of setting, and the sky was bathed in a comforting amber glow. It was a perfect evening, as they sat down to their steaming bowls of spicy, hot ramen. Ichiraku beamed at the kids: they were the soul of the village after all, and they were crucial to uplift the village from its present deterioration. It warmed him to see them happy, contented as they were. Inazuma said his goodbyes as he entered his house. He tiptoed in the garden, and sneakily 'infiltrated' the house. His mother was momentarily surprised as two hands hugged her waist, and she beamed at Inazuma. He was going up to be a fine ninja indeed. Shinra came into the living room as Inazuma discarded his weapons pouch. He seemed preoccupied. By midnight, everyone was fast asleep.

Shinra's superfine senses made his eyes snap open. He got up soundlessly, and crossed his room in a heartbeat. Within seconds, he was in the sizeable garden in front of his house. The moon was bathing the fallen Sakura blossom petals, giving them an eerie glow. A small breeze was flowing. And, there stood a cloaked figure in front of Shinra. It had appeared out of thin air. The figure seemed momentarily surprised; it did not expect someone to register its presence so fast. Indeed, it had not expected his presence to be registered at all. Shinra tensed. The figure chuckled. A deep voice issued- "Shinra Akaike. Highly pleased to meet you…" The figure's face suddenly came into the moonlight; it was a swirling orange mask, with one hole for sight. It was a man, definitely. His robes covered his body entirely, and there was no visible headband or insignia to indicate his loyalty. His cloak had strange, cloudy patterns over its black fabric, which flowed as he moved. His nails were colored, with a strange ring on his index finger. Shinra's mind identified the man's group immediately 'Akatsuki', but he forced to calm himself.

Madara Uchiha, aka Tobi, looked at the man before him. So, this was the guardian of one of the last surviving Uchiha, the ANBU who had defeated three others for guardianship of Taiki Uchiha's child. Madara knew that the man was not to be trifled with. But he also knew that he was stronger. He spoke clearly. "Shinra Akaike, I know the truth about the child in your possession…" Shinra flinched visibly at this statement. He managed to utter a shaky "And…?" before relapsing into silence. "Let me speak as clearly and as bluntly as I can. The child is an Uchiha as you very well know. You need to take care of his other…developments. His eye…has the Sharingan awakened?" Shinra was irritated. What business did this man have here, asking about Inazuma? Who was he anyway? "Please state your identity. You seem to know a lot about me and my son, so you better have a good explanation…"

"_Your _son?" Madara chuckled darkly. I know the entire truth about Taiki Uchiha, so you better not lie to me, of all people!" The figure drew itself at full height.

"I am Madara Uchiha, one of the founders of Konoha. I care about the Uchiha, now as there are so few of them left… and I also see to it that they do not become weaklings…do you understand?"

Shinra was astonished. _The _Madara Uchiha? This was getting highly dangerous. If he was involved, and he knew all about Taiki, then it was going to be intensely difficult to protect Inazuma, as he would be regarded with suspicion, if word ever got out that he was an Uchiha.

"Well, Madara Uchiha…I do not know your intentions, and for that matter, I don't even care. The only thing you should do now is stay away from my son…and keep your distance. I'll look after his affairs, so please…or I'll be obliged to show you the exit…"

Madara smirked at the man's audacity. This fool had no idea who he was dealing with…very well. A demonstration was needed, perhaps…

"Well, Shinra-_san_" he remarked, using the honorific with obvious sarcasm, "I won't be going…quietly. I believe that you think my threats are phony. Please allow me to clear your suspicions…" Shinra tensed.

His summoning bracelet was heating up with directed chakra. A puff of smoke, and a fuma shuriken rested in his hand, ready for the throw. Madara seemed amused. "Madara, this is your last warning! I do not know what powers you possess, but I will try my best to protect my son!" Shinra fumed.

Madara didn't even shuffle from his spot. His mask gazed at Shinra, impassive as ever. "Very well…" Shinra muttered. His feet hesitated a second, and he launched into a run, throwing the shuriken at Madara with accuracy. What happened next was completely unexpected. The shuriken passed _through _Madara, and into the space beyond. As Shinra ran, he decided to try again, his fingers tensing as he held the thread of the rigged shuriken. His fingers twitched, and the almost invisible chakra tread sent the same shuriken hurtling into him from behind. Madara pulled off the same trick again, much to Shinra's frustration. He neared Madara, and sent a punch, which hit pure air as it passed through him. As he was pulling back, Madara caught him and kicked him squarely in the gut. Shinra felt his breath leave his body as the kick connected. He was sent flying back, and he had to direct chakra into his legs to stop himself from hurtling further. He winced from the pain where the kick had landed. This Madara was strong, and on top of that, possessed some strange jutsu which made his attacks useless. Shinra thought for a while. _That's it! _He thought, and almost after that, Madara was behind him. As he turned around to register Madara's presence, another punch to his face sent him flying again. Shinra flew towards the wall of his garden, and turned to land feet first on the wall. He bent his legs, and went flying straight towards Madara, only to pass through him again.

But now, Shinra was more confident as he got up. His brain was ablaze with thoughts. _Madara is an Uchiha…so, he probably possesses the Sharingan. Also, as he's one of the most experienced ones, he must know some unique Sharingan based techniques. This intangibility must be one of them… Also, he had to harden his body for his taijutsu to hit me, so I have to hit him with full power and careful timing…and the timing becomes even tougher because of the Sharingan- he will be able to predict my movements. I guess I'll have to activate my Kekkei Genkai too…and hope for that element of surprise._

Madara was walking towards him. "Now, Shinra-san…If you DO have anything else up your sleeve except normal ninjutsu, and speed with is only above average, then you would be considered a threat. But…"

He was instantly before Shinra, as he expressed surprise- a substitution? He turned around after dissipating it. "Impressive, Shinra –san, but my eyes can perceive your movement much before…I can see the future, you may say…ha-ha…" he chuckled darkly.

Shinra was forming hand signs already. "Lightning Release: Lightning Senbon!" The air fizzed with static as an innumerable number of senbon bolts raced towards Madara. As Madara made his way through them, unharmed, he continued talking. "You don't seem to understand, Shinra-san…it is futile to try landing a hit on me!" And he flickered towards Shinra again, and sent him flying towards the wall again. This time, he pinned Shinra's arms against the wall. Shinra looked at him with hate, and suddenly smiled as the lightning clone dissipated with a high intensity crackling. Madara was numbed temporarily, and his brain sent shock waves throughout his body. _Dammit, I cannot move!_ _I seriously underestimated that ANBU… _

"Celestial Release: Lunar prison!" the real Shinra yelled, and Madara instantly felt a sudden tightening around his torso. He looked, and almost in disbelief saw that six vertical bars of pure _moonlight _were holding him firmly in place. He looked up towards Shinra, who looked exhausted from the effort, but was forming some unknown combination of seals. He raised his hand. "Celestial Release: Skyfire!" Almost instantaneously, the smell of Ozone spread in the air. The air around Madara was reacting with ferocity, shimmering, dispersing, and flashing. A brilliantine blue ring shimmered around Madara for a moment. Shinra gave a victor's smile, and clenched his fist. The ring shrunk in size, and a blue column of flame filled the space where Madara was previously standing, instantly incinerating him. It was quiet once more, but the ozone smell still lingered. Shinra collapsed from the effort.

He almost passed out. But then, a sudden "Way to go, dad!" jolted him. Inazuma came running towards him. He hugged him affectionately. "I was afraid, Dad…" he was crying due to relief. Shinra wiped his tears away. _Had he heard everything…? _"There, there…" "I'm not a true Shinobi, dad! I let fear seep into my emotions when I should have helped you…Instead, I hid like a coward. Shinra looked into his son's eyes. "Never think like that, son…Fear is a rational emotion, it's always better than headstrong foolishness! But, like any other emotion, it should never be overused…one should control it when the situation calls for it, and- _aargh_!"

Inazuma looked up at his father in shock. Shinra had suddenly stopped talking, and a thin rivulet of blood was trickling down his mouth. "Father…?" the word had barely escaped his lips, when a spine chilling voice spoke from behind him.

"My, _my, _how touching…"

Madara Uchiha stood behind Inazuma cradling his father's body. Shinra's head was hanging in free space, but his eerily alive eyes blazed with defiance.

"Surely, you did not think I would be defeated so easily? The person you just destroyed was a highly advanced type of chakra clone…a live body. I had to keep him in control and had him use my powers by emaciating his body and infusing some of my chakra into him…nevertheless." He stopped talking.

As he looked at father and son, Madara's mind was recalling with a sudden clarity, the information on the Akaike clan.

_The Akaike clan. They were a combating class of priests earlier, who possessed a unique Kekkei Genkai- the power to channel jutsu of pure energy from the celestial elements. They called it "God's" power then, as they were priests. But that was a long while ago, almost a century. That type of bloodline limit had not been seen since. The Akaike had settled in Konoha, and were primarily strong warriors, ranking high in the ninja hierarchy. But now…the bloodline had resurfaced. This was unique indeed… The clan was reclusive otherwise, and it did not interest me at all, as I dismissed their Kekkei Genkai to be a mere myth. This was unexpected indeed. _

Shinra gurgled. "What have you done…to me?" he asked thickly. Madara shrugged. "A simple, slow acting poison. The chakra clone's nails were coated with it-it was planted in you during your brief taijutsu fight with it. So then…the celestial release, huh? This is an extremely interesting development…Ha-ha, don't worry…" Madara said when Shinra tried to bring Inazuma closer to him. "I'm not going to kill you. A skilled medic will easily cure you…and as for your abilities- well, now I'm sure you can take care of him until he's ready. And it's still time, for him to get ready…so rest assured. It was an interesting meeting indeed, Shinra-san…So long, I think I can hear the backup you called for when you touched your bracelet…"

The air swirled as Madara began vanishing. Madara looked at father and son as he began teleporting, and a flicker of surprise went through his mind as he saw the fading scene. Inazuma had turned toward him, and his eyes were a sinful red, as two tomoe glared at him balefully. Madara vanished before Inazuma could do anything else, as the activated Sharingan took its toll upon him, and he collapsed.

Madara landed back near the Akatsuki hideout, and immediately congratulated himself. The boy had awakened his Sharingan, and for Madara, it was an added bonus. The mission had gone very well indeed…he had created a prodigy, not just another strong Uchiha.


	6. Chapter 05 Deja vu

**Chapter 05- Déjà vu **

A/N- Heheh, my sincerest apologies for this unnatural, yet unexplained delay. Turns out that I spent most of my time reading other fics rather than writing mine here, so…*sweats* But anyway, here's a brand new one. This comes to the present again. The title, Déjà vu needs no explanation (I hope) and the chapter was a personal favorite. So, Enjoy, as usual! And please review, it WILL help me write further, trust me!

Cheers.

Time Frame: Lightning Country, Kumogakure, Present.

"_Move and show me what you can do__  
><em>_When you step into the circle and shake like we do__  
><em>_And move when you just can't take it__  
><em>_And move if you just feel like breaking it___

_I come crashing to the floor__  
><em>_And I know there must be more like me__  
><em>_I've seen this all before, I can't carry this anymore, break free__  
><em>_So breathe and leave until the storm is over__  
><em>_'Cause underneath, there's a diamond passing over__  
><em>_So breathe, let's leave until the storm is over,__  
><em>_Because I want to take you away___

_Move and show me what you can do__  
><em>_When you step into the circle and shake like we do__  
><em>_And move when you just can't take it__  
><em>_And move if you just feel like breaking it"_

-Move, by Thousand Foot Krutch

It was time. The valley of clouds and lightning was filled with a dense fog, as usual. The mist hung thick in heavy swirls, and the freshly wet Earth sent a heady aroma into the atmosphere. On either side, there lay mountains of impressive stature, ridged with rock and stone. It hailed occasionally. One could only imagine what kind of environment lay below, in the valley itself. Steep precipices loomed from beneath the valley, black and stark white making a stunning contrast. A figure stood erect on one of these precipices, intently watching the valley for movement.

Sasuke Uchiha wore white. His old half-kimono style robe was back, with subtle changes. A white hood covered his neck, complete with a white scarf shielding his mouth. He was standing with near perfect chakra control at an impossible angle, honed by years of perfect practice. Behind him stood Inazuma Uchiha, similarly clad in white. His was more of a white robe of sorts, with an elegant red sash at his waist, to hold the garment. It was perfect for free movement. Needless to say, an inconspicuous Uchiha crest found itself behind the robe. He was maintaining even composure. It was to be one of their last, and one of their hardest missions.

Sasuke breathed heavily. He made a curt signal at Inazuma, who nodded silently. The air shifted momentarily, as Inazuma bodyflickered on the other side of the valley. Sasuke was pleased. Inazuma's chakra signature was perfectly cloaked. Even a skilled ninja like him would not be able to make him out easily. He shifted his attention to the canyon again, and activated his Sharingan. And caught the chakra signature almost immediately. It was like a huge blot on the landscape. The Avenger smirked, as he got ready to attack his target. This would require some skill indeed.

Killer B was practicing his training hard, swinging his swords at the imaginary opponent. After having devoted his time to Naruto's training, he decided he needed to train alone to hone his skills for some time. This valley was his favorite place, with no one to bother him. The harsh winds did nothing but determine him further. As he skewered another imaginary opponent, a rhyme came to him immediately. He stood, taking his book out, and wrote-

"_In this cold I train, yeah_

_Watch out for my sword, fool!_

_Or I'll leave your head here to freeze and cool!"_

He regarded his "masterpiece" with admiration. He unmasked his chakra. No one could get here now, he figured. He poised himself. Suddenly, his ninja senses were activated, as he heard a fizzing, chirping sound fill the air. He ducked instinctively. _This sound is familiar…Who is that now? _A figure stood in front of him. The mist and cold wind made it difficult to see. A glow had formed in his opponent's hands, which disappeared quickly. Killer B regarded him with condescension and respect, at the same time. Whoever it was, had managed to catch him unawares. But this fool probably did not know that NOBODY attacked killer B, the Eight- tails Jinchuriki head on. This guy seemed pretty arrogant and overconfident. Well, he would pay for that soon. "Oh? Have you come to be my training buddy?" he asked. "Save those remarks for later, B." a cool voice answered him. _Sasuke Uchiha! _Realized B, as soon as he heard those words. He tensed. The memories of their last battle came flooding to him. That had been a close shave, and he knew it. But the boy had three more aiding him, and now he had come alone. B couldn't sense anybody else nearby. He smirked inwardly at the boy's arrogance. There was nobody to heal his injuries now, if he ever landed a fatal hit. He spoke his mind.

"Fool! You're alone now, kid! You think you can take me on all by yourself? Me AND the Hachibi? You'll suffer if you attack now, Uchiha…so, step back and leave me to train in peace!"

"You're the fool, and a very dangerous one at that, Hachibi. Not that I follow all the ninja rules, but the very least you can do is follow the one that says: Never underestimate your opponent…" Sasuke said levelly. "Last I checked you were forced to go into hiding because of my Amaterasu…" he continued blithely.

B was getting mildly agitated. Not only was the Uchiha fearless, he was successfully making him feel angry, too."That was just because I needed a well deserved vacation, fool! You punks were no match for me…you should've seen the expression on your faces when I took my eight tailed form!"

"I wonder what my expression says right now?" the Uchiha asked. "Let me tell you." He proceeded. "You're going down, Hachibi. That's all there is to it. Should we start, or are you planning to run before the battle begins, coward?"

That hit a nerve. Killer B ran at the boy with full force, and attempted a vicious right hook. Sasuke's Sharingan was already active, as he dodged with ease. His red eyes blinked, and his form blurred behind B. B anticipated the move, and as quick as lightning, unsheathed one of the swords in his rear holder, and swung it in a deadly arc behind him. The sword hit a substitution log. Killer B looked back, only to see that the log had multiple explosion tags attached to it. His eyes widened. _A rigged substitution? The boy was very fast._ An explosion shook the place where b was standing, and Sasuke landed perfectly, looking at the site of explosion. The dust cleared. B was covered in a near impenetrable chakra shroud. The Eight tails' power had saved him. He grinned at the Uchiha. "Nice going, punk! But not quite enough…Lariat!" He screamed, and ran at him with his chakra enhanced arm outstretched. The ground tore where B ran. Sasuke was not amused. He had already jumped, and cupped his hand to his mouth. "Fire release: Grand Fireball!" The traditional fireball fell upon B. As B was surrounded by the flame, he felt a momentary burning. The Eight tails inside him spoke in astonishment. "_His ninjutsu has become ten times stronger! A simple Fire technique affected the chakra shroud slightly…"_

B was alert now. So Sasuke was not bragging about his strength after all. He spoke to the Hachibi. "Loan me chakra. I want to finish this quickly, so we'll go into Stage 2!" "Are you sure?" asked the Eight tailed Ox. "Damn sure! Let's finish this punk off already, yeah!" "Anything!" wailed the Ox. "I'll give you anything; just don't start your rhymes right now!" B was upset at the Ox's remark. He soon forgot that as he saw Sasuke charge at him.

"Chidori!" Sasuke screamed as his sword gleamed blue with electricity. The eerie screeching sound filled the air, as the lightning crackled and hissed. He charged at B. B looked up. He raised his hands in a familiar rapping motion. "Stage 2! Whee!" The chakra shroud became darker, and covered him completely. Eight tails sprouted behind the red-black form, and an Ox's skull manifested near the location of the mouth. He charged Sasuke, too. The two ran at each other, and clashed. B frowned as his red arm came into contact with Sasuke's body. It poofed with a small pop. _A clone! Then where was- _B turned around to see Sasuke close his eyes. 

Sasuke suddenly felt a power high, and he smiled. _"Eternal _Mangekyo Sharingan!" he exclaimed, and opened his eyes. B saw his eyes, surprised. _Eternal? _He then saw it clearly. The pattern on his iris had changed. It looked like a combination of his original and…someone else's. But whose?

Sasuke looked with intense clarity. Itachi's power coursed through him freely, and he felt godly. He smirked at the astonished B. "Watch the true power of the Uchiha!" he said, and closed his right eye.

Atop the glacial peak, Inazuma watched the battle with some measure of interest. It seemed that Sasuke had the momentary advantage of surprise, as B did not have an idea of what was going on. But B was fast, and he wouldn't be caught off guard instantly. Especially in his Stage 2 form. Inazuma's Sharingan whirred as he checked the combatants' chakra network. B's showed a high intensity, almost endless chakra pool, while Sasuke's was a calm, steady flow of chakra. But that ended near his ocular region, where the chakra had clotted in a vast amount. _I'm getting bored. And mildly excited, at the same time. Hope Sasuke calls for my aid. Soon. _

Sasuke opened one of his eyes, and a thin trickle of blood streamed from his eyes, staining the snow beneath him. B knew the stare of death when he saw one, and was quick to move out of Sasuke's field of vision. His Stage 2 form helped him here immensely, for he currently matched his brother's, the Raikage's speed. He blurred out of sight, as Sasuke's ocular jutsu hit.

"Amaterasu!" The black flames from hell, as hot as a million suns, scorched the white ground. Sasuke frowned as he found himself in a familiar situation- an enemy too fast for him was dodging his flames, which burned slowly. He remembered that the Raikage had taken advantage of this at the five- Kage summit. B morphed behind him, ready to land a hit. Sasuke smirked. _Good thing I had taken precautions. _As B swung his reddish-black arm, Sasuke burst into a multitude of crows. _A crow clone? This was Itachi's jutsu…was it not? _ B's mind went into overdrive. _So, that Mangekyo- Itachi's powers! _ He realized horrifically. Sasuke faced him once again, and the black flames incinerated everything in his field of vision. B teleported a second too late, as the flames began licking his Stage 2 chakra shroud. Sasuke closed his eyes, controlling the feel of the flames, their intensity. The Eternal Mangekyo made this jutsu virtually painless now, apart from the chakra drain. No more stumbling. No more vulnerability. He looked at B trying to trash about wildly. B teleported, leaving the chakra shroud where it was, burning. _Smart move, but not enough, _thought Sasuke. B was gasping. The flames had very nearly incinerated him to oblivion. Sasuke was looking at him with a new expression. Arrogance. No more wariness, which he might have displayed earlier. The Ox screamed in his mind. "Fool! This will endanger both of us! Transform into me, right now!" B was unrelenting. But as he looked again, Sasuke was advancing slowly. He grudgingly began his transformation. "You fool! You punk! I'll show you the power with which I beat you once! And I bet I'll beat you twice, yeah!" The gigantic Ox-cum octopus hybrid began looming horrifically into view. Sasuke began retreating as the figure grew in size. The Ox thrashed its tails maniacally, and began forming the feared Tailed beast ball. Sasuke realized what was going to happen, and closed his eyes, combing his arsenal of jutsu's, looking for one to deploy. Inazuma grew slightly worried. A fully formed tailed beast could devastate entire villages, and the tailed beast ball would certainly level half the area around here. He began forming hand signs.

Suddenly, the world turned white with the incoming chakra spike from the Beast ball. And regained color, as the beast ball sped towards Sasuke, who opened his eyes finally. A white hot concussion wave spread out from either direction, and Inazuma felt himself submit to such relentless power. The blast stopped, and the whole area was covered with thick smoke from the blast. The Ox watched solemnly at the destruction he had created. Inazuma steadied himself, ready to jump into the fray. He swept his gaze over where Sasuke had been, and his eyes widened. _Amazing,_ He thought.

The Ox's eyes widened too, as he looked when the smoke cleared. An unearthly purple godlike figure was becoming visible. The smoke finally parted. And there stood Susanoo, the ethereal warrior, the ultimate Mangekyo defense. The chakra composed warrior shrouded Sasuke, who seemed unhurt from the tailed beast ball. Inazuma's eyes widened. _He's in complete form. His Susanoo has achieved perfection. _Indeed, the Susanoo was composed of the three layered spirit cloak, complete with the two legendary items- the Totsuka Sword, and the Yata mirror. Itachi had indeed poured all his powers into Sasuke. The Yata mirror was raised, and had countered the beast ball's Yang chakra, with its elemental equal- the Yin chakra. Such was the nature of the divine item. _Impossible..._, was the only word that echoed in the Ox's mind. Sasuke's hair had completely covered his eyes, and his hand was cupped to his mouth. He spat some blood, and wiped it away. He looked up, and with his eyes blazing with pure killing intent, engaged the beast. The sword swung down, and wounded the beast who howled in agony.

Inazuma, snapping out of his reverie, started thinking. _We need the Hachibi alive. If Sasuke uses the Totsuka sword, B will die, sealed forever in an eternal Genjustsu. This was NOT what was planned._

He screamed. "Oye, Sasuke! Don't kill him! We need him alive!" The Hachibi noticed the second Akatsuki member. _This is bad! I was not expecting another one! I can hardly beat both of them, in this state. Perhaps the ink is needed… _

Before anything could happen, Inazuma jumped between them, facing the Eight-tails. Sasuke seemed to regain his senses. "Earth Style: Detrimental Fist!" Inazuma slammed his fist on the ground. The Earth screeched horribly around the Hachibi, and a huge pit was forming. The Eight tails dropped into it unceremoniously. "Sasuke, now!" shouted Inazuma, and Sasuke ended his Susanoo. He looked down as the beast was trying to react to its predicament. Not wasting another moment, his left eye twitched. His hand cupped to his mouth. _Time to try this new move…_

"Blaze release: Ethereal Breath of Amaterasu!" Instead of the customary fireball, and jet of scorching black flame streamed hard and fast towards the Hachibi. And found its target. The Eight tails screamed, writhed and shook in agony as the flames consumed it. Inazuma motioned for Sasuke to end the Jutsu, who complied. The hissing in the pit stopped, to reveal the eight tails' Jinchuriki, completely prone on the ground. Sasuke's Sharingan checked for any flaws in the chakra network, to see if any fakes had been planted, like last time. And found none. The Akatsuki had finally claimed the Eight tails.


	7. Chapter 06 The perfect Sharingan

**Chapter 06- The perfect Sharingan **

_Stay low._  
><em>Soft, dark, and dreamless,<em>  
><em>Far beneath my nightmares and loneliness.<em>  
><em>I hate me,<em>  
><em>For breathing without you.<em>  
><em>I don't want to feel anymore for you.<em>

_I long to be like you,_  
><em>Lie cold in the ground like you.<em>  
><em>There's room inside for two and I'm not grieving for you,<em>  
><em>I'm coming for you.<em>

_You're not alone,_  
><em>No matter what they told you, you're not alone.<em>  
><em>I'll be right beside you forevermore.<em>

_And as we lay in silent bliss,_  
><em>I know you remember me.<em>

_I long to be like you,_  
><em>Lie cold in the ground like you.<em>  
><em>There's room inside for two and I'm not grieving for you,<em>  
><em>I'm coming for you<em>

_-Like you, Evanescence_

Konohagakure, 12 years ago.

Inazuma blinked as his eyes struggled to gain focus. Tsunade, the recently appointed Hokage, stood beside his bed, making certain pen marks on her clipboard. As soon as she saw her patient try to open his eyes, she immediately stopped his hands, gently. "Easy, there…Your eyes were greatly strained. Give them some rest…" Inazuma weakly managed to say "I-I can't see." "You will, eventually." She assured him. The boy took some heart, and went back into a fitful sleep. Tsunade knew a critical case when she saw one. This boy had barely escaped death. The funny thing was, this boy had not even fought four days ago. According to Shinra's report, he was the one who had fought the Akatsuki member, Tobi. His son had not joined in. Shinra's injuries, on the contrary were lighter. A few bruises, a dislocated rib, extreme chakra depletion, and numerous other wounds. But nothing extremely fatal. The boy, well- he was another case. His ocular nerves had been strained to the maximum limit, like someone had forced him to go without blinking for a LOT of time. A thin blood stain near the tear troughs just amplified the possibility of severe ocular strain. His chakra had been depleted to almost nothing. He had slipped into unconsciousness for three days. In fact, he had regained consciousness today itself. Tsunade resisted the urge to cry for joy. She was rather attached to all her patients, and a child like this…well, he was just too young to die. Well, all those mysterious injuries needed to be explained. She made a mental note to grill Shinra later, and yawned involuntarily. It had been a long day, what with the numerous people getting injured with their run-ins with the Akatsuki…

Shinra cracked his knuckles in frustration, as he sat outside Inazuma's ward. He had healed quickly, but he couldn't understand how simply activating the Sharingan could have such a severe effect on his son's body. Maybe his chakra reserves were low? His thoughts were interrupted when the door swung open. Tsunade walked out, and strode past him, with a curt 'follow me.' Shinra sighed, expecting the worst. He slouched behind her, when she suddenly spoke. "He'll live." She said, simply. Shinra sighed. "So I'll just…" his voice trailed off.

"No. I need some answers." She stopped, her tone authoritative.

Shinra showed no surprise. It was inevitable, after all. Some sufficient explanation was required for that night's events. His official report was hazy and vague. But, the thing was, could he trust the new Hokage?

"Please, we can discuss it in my office, if you are not comfortable here." Shinra nodded.

The door to the Hokage's office swung shut with an eerie thud. Tsunade took her position, and told Shinra to take a seat.

"So…."

"If I may, I would like to apologize first for my secrecy. I also ask for forgiveness for my suspicious behavior, and my stubbornness in not trusting you, the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade was a bit taken aback after that extensive apology. She recovered quickly. "Let old matters lay, Shinra. It is but natural that as the new Hokage, people will not embrace me with open arms immediately. Least of all the ANBU, who have had to switch loyalties from the Sandaime to the Godaime so fast…" she continued. "But- the whole point is just that. It is imperative for the Konoha ninja to start putting their faith in me- only then will the people follow in their footsteps. You understand, don't you?"

At that instant, Shinra knew that he could trust her to keep a secret. She was right, in every point she made. The ANBU had been shaken after their failure to save the Sandaime, their huge ego shattered. The so-called 'elite' of Konoha had been beaten. They were a bit wary about everything now, even the new Hokage.

Shinra took a collective breath, to gather his thoughts. "Very well…" He said.

"Inazuma is an Uchiha."

The said statement was said in such a calm manner, that one would think two friends were chatting over tea. But that illusion soon shattered, as Tsunade gasped extremely audibly. "This has…"

"Complications." Shinra finished for her. "This is the very reason that I wanted to keep this a secret. But, telling anybody else would cause the news to be spread like wildfire. The sole Sharingan in Konoha is with my son. This not only raises issues about the resurrection of the noble clan, but also about Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha's "missing-nin" and "S rank criminal" statuses. Sasuke Uchiha will be of no further need to Konoha, as they will already succeed in obtaining the Sharingan. It will be a kill on sight order on the Uchiha's heads. Team 7 will be devastated, especially, Uzumaki Naruto. You see, I have thought about all this. I know of the Konoha 9, and their determination in trying to redeem their former team mate. This will be a strategic blow."

Tsunade was thinking on the same lines. "You are too kind Shinra…but this is only half of it isn't it? Your son…"

Shinra shuddered. "Yes. Inazuma, if he has not learnt already, will soon know fully of his lineage. His father, his mother… he will think twice about us, we, who have been the only parents he knows when he learns of his true parents…It will shatter the boy. And, I…" Shinra's voice was now cracking.

"I do not wish my boy to go the same way as Sasuke Uchiha did- and become traitor to Konoha."

"But, you have not told me how he survived the massacre. He should not exist, technically…"

Shinra gave a wry smile at that. "Yes. He should not exist. But it all started with Taiki Uchiha, his father… "

"Taiki Uchiha, as you know, was the vice-captain of the ANBU right up to the Uchiha clan massacre. He was given an A-ranked mission at that time, by the Sandaime himself. He was asked to retrieve a man who was getting his memories wiped by the Dokushinka clan, yes, by those elusive mind readers. The man held secret information pertaining to Konoha's Hyuuga clan. The Dokushinka have a very unique Kekkei Genkai, which allows for a very high degree of mind control. They can extract the information from their victim and simultaneously wipe the same, so that the victim cannot even recollect what happened, while the information is safely inside the mind of the reader. The Sandaime could not allow such sensitive information, (said to contain things related to the Hyuuga clan's unique taijutsu and ninjutsu skills) to leak. So, he sent one of the best- Taiki Uchiha, to destroy the readers, as well as the man, who was a missing-nin. This was an added bonus."

Shinra paused. Tsunade's amber eyes had a faraway look as she snapped into reality. Shinra was an excellent narrator. She smiled, and motioned for him to continue.

"Taiki Uchiha entered the clan territory with an entourage of 6 other ANBU. They decimated the clan silently. In retrospect, it was much like the Uchiha clan massacre." He gave an ironic chuckle.

"Taiki-san led the raid. He put down two families, and headed straight for the clan elder's quarters. The elder, an old woman, was already in the process of extracting the sensitive information. Her hand was on his head, and the man sat on the stool as if in a trance. Little did she know that Taiki was watching her intently…"

"Just watching?" Tsunade interjected.

"A little deviation here is needed, Tsunade-sama. Maybe you know of Taiki-san's abilities?"

"No, not much…why do you ask?"

"Well, he was no doubt an Uchiha. He had the Sharingan too. As you know, the Sharingan is extremely useful for copying jutsu, especially elemental releases…But, Taiki-san's was a whole class above that, you see…"

Tsunade was all attention now.

"He possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, similar to Itachi Uchiha. He killed his brother, Hayate Uchiha for the same…"

Tsunade shuddered. The limits some people crossed in their pursuit of power were extremely disturbing.

"This Mangekyo has the pattern of a six-pointed star. But, instead of the usual Mangekyo techniques you might have heard about-Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi , he had only one ability. The ability to copy entire Kekkei Genkai, and use it as his own. In other words-"

"The perfect Sharingan." Tsunade gasped, as she realized the implications of such a power.

"Yes, exactly that. But, the technique had its limits. Its technical name is 'Pāfekuto Fukusei', or, in other words, perfect replication. Such a technique was a highly specialized one. It involved replicating the necessary hand signs, the adjustments needed in one's chakra pathway, the specialized body parts needed, in some cases, and even DNA changes. This technique affected one's own body, and if the opponent's Kekkei Genkai involved drastic, sudden changes, then one's chakra control had to be exemplary, to regulate the toll the technique took upon one's body. One also needed to adapt to the opponent's Kekkei Genkai and learn to use it. There were a lot of complications involved in the technique's execution. The technique was quite useless in a full scale battle, as it would only cripple the user for a long time. But, it had an excellent long term advantages. As for elemental releases, it could copy them in the fraction of the time needed for the average Sharingan- even see into the future, literally for a few seconds, and unleash the technique on the one who was being copied. In effect, a faster, more efficient version of our famous copy-nin, Kakashi-san…"

Tsunade was quick to catch on. "So, he was copying the Dokushinjutsu?"

Shinra was pleased. She was a smart woman. "But of course. Such a rare jutsu could not be left alone. But even Taiki-san felt the toll as another ANBU had to support his throughout after that. The Kekkei Genkai was quite complicated to replicate. Taiki-san was unconscious for 8-10 hours. Meanwhile, other ANBU swiftly eliminated the clan elders and the man. The mission was cake walk, from start to end. After his return, Taiki-san would get fits and nightmares in his sleep, because of the newly acquired Kekkei Genkai. You see, Tsunade-sama…the Dokushinka were not simply mind readers. They possessed a certain capability to predict the future, via visions and brief flashes of thought. This ability was naturally transferred to Taiki-san, and one night, he had the most horrific nightmare of all…"

"He saw the Uchiha clan massacre, two to three weeks in advance."

Tsunade questioned. "So? He did what? I don't remember him trying to stop Itachi Uchiha on that fateful night."

Shinra nodded. "You see, Hokage-sama- He had not quite learnt to use his new Kekkei Genkai, as it was recently acquired. The images he saw were presumably hazy, and vague. But I recall him telling me that he saw a newborn in Yumi-sama's (his wife's) arms. Who could that be but his son? He also saw the child, dead on the floor of their mansion- a baby, drenched in blood- you can only imagine what Taiki-san must have had to endure: So, he did the thing anybody would try to do- alter the future, and the boy's death. The boy was born not soon after- and Taiki-san, instead of being the happy father he always deserved to be- was contemplating how to save his only child. The visions threatened to claim him, until he saw a way through- hand him over to someone else, someone trustworthy. And he wanted the candidate to be worthy, of course…"

"And you were chosen…? Just like that?"

"I'm afraid it wasn't that simple, Hokage-sama…he arranged a…competition, you might say."

"A competition? To see who got his son?" Tsunade exclaimed incredulously. "What was the nature of this competition?"

"A fight." Shinra said, wryly. "Between two other ANBU, and myself."

"I just don't understand- how could you be part of something like this? Something so- crude?"

Shinra hung his head. "I wanted to be a father, Tsunade-sama. Kazumi and I did not have a child, and we longed for one. That was all there was to it." His voice was laced with sadness, and shame.

Tsunade held her head in her hands. Here was the most honorable man, an ANBU no less, and one of the most loyal and valuable Konoha Shinobi, and he had fallen prey to the simple desire of wanting a child. Fate played funny tricks indeed.

"You may proceed." she said, finally.

"I defeated the other two ANBU. Taiki-san was glad that I had emerged victorious, as I was one of his most trusted fellow Shinobi. But no man should have to part with his child, and that applies a hundred-fold for the mother. Yumi did not understand her husband's madness, but she had to relent. Being of an aristocratic family, she was taught not to overly question her husband's actions. Two weeks before the massacre, Taiki-san handed over his son to me. Due to the lightning storm which was ripping the sky, Taiki-san thought of the perfect name for his son- Inazuma, or lightning. I must admit, I couldn't have named him anything better myself. There was only a small setback that night. Sasuke Uchiha had seen the entire exchange. Taiki-san, using his newly acquired abilities, mind-wiped him. And everything continued, as usual. There was only one untoward incident after that."

"That being…?"

"Inazuma hadn't spent much time with his original family, so he adapted to us rather well. But, when we went to Taiki-san's funeral after the massacre, the boy wept- and he wept blood."

Tsunade was horrified at the atrocity of it all.

"Who knows what the reason for that was? But since then, he was normal. Everything was going smoothly, until two days ago…"

"I have had a similar observation. He wept blood again, the night you were attacked by that Akatsuki. Maybe it had something to do with his Kekkei Genkai… I will look into the matter…" Tsunade said.

Shinra stood up.

"A few things, Tsunade sama. That Akatsuki said his name was Madara-Madara Uchiha. Also, he is intensely powerful. That was missing in my report."

Tsunade closed her eyes in dismay. This had become drastic.

"One last question, Shinra."

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"How do you know about Taiki-san's missions? And the entire story, I mean…"

"That's easily answered, Hokage-sama…You see, I was one of the six-man ANBU squad sent to eliminate the Dokushinka."

With that, he turned around, and shut the door gently after him.

- O -

A/N-Somehow, another update today. Quite a bit of effort, I tell you. R&R, please!


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